That was the question coming out of Boston this morning when the Senators announced they’d be giving goalie Robin Lehner his first start of the year.

This start comes, of course, exactly a year to the day of Lehner’s first and only NHL shutout — at 32-save effort against the Bruins, in Boston, on Feb. 28, 2012.

Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean said the team has the utmost confidence in the 21-year-old netminder based on how well he’s played for AHL Binghamton this season.

“Robin’s had a very successful season in the American Hockey League and he’s played very well in the National Hockey League last season when he played,” MacLean told NHL.com. “He played here and he played well. And those are a lot of the factors that go into it.

“The fact that he’s played very well this year in the American League gives us a lot of confidence.”

Lenher’s start will allow the Sens to rest Ben Bishop, who’s been busy over the last while. He’s been Ottawa’s goalie of record in four of the last five games, allowing just six goals while recording a perfect 4-0-0 record.